Though Darkness Hide Me

 

[1]

Psalm 139:11-12

Good News Translation

¹¹ I could ask the darkness to hide me
    or the light around me to turn into night,
¹² but even darkness is not dark for you,
    and the night is as bright as the day.
    Darkness and light are the same to you.

 

My brother, Elwood, was working with a group developing an infra-red camera that worked at ambient temperatures. He brought a prototype of their camera home with him one day and asked me if I would like to accompany him on some test runs. The night was very dark. We drove up Ortega Highway above Lake Elsinore and pulled into the parking lot of Lookout Restaurant. There were a number of cars parked there, undoubtedly belonging to the customers in the restaurant. The parking lot was unlit except for the area near the restaurant front door.

We pointed the camera down the steep slopes of the Santa Ana Mountains towards the town, to see what a city looks like in infra-red light. When another car drove by on the highway, we watched sparks shooting out from under the car. These sparks were totally invisible to the naked eye.

Over in the dark of the far corner of the parking lot, we could barely make out the shape of a car, its windows showing a dim reflection of the restaurant lights. When we turned this camera in that direction, the whole scene changed. A couple had spread a blanket out on the pavement next to their car. They were reclining on it romantically. They trusted the darkness to hide them, probably relishing the possibility of an adrenalin rush if some car were to turn its lights on them and discover their boldness. They never knew that their tryst was being filmed by a camera they didn’t see.

Far more perceptive than Elwood’s camera, God sees all things and knows all things, even the secrets of our hearts. He sees in light or darkness, even through walls and concrete. When we cry for help, He is always ready to rush to our rescue.

Thank You, Lord, that darkness and light are all the same to You. Thank You for being ready to help us in our time of need.

 

 

---

[1] https://hw.life/infrared/21st-century-infrared-healing

Bullying

[i]

Ephesians 5:8 

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

Ian[ii] was a big fellow. To my 5^th grade eyes he looked like a giant. For some reason that I no longer remember, he got mad at me and threatened to kill me. Kids do that, of course. They say things that they don’t mean literally. But I took him at his word, and I was scared. Through the last few hours of class, all I could think of was his threat. I learned nothing about what Miss Ranierⁱ was trying to teach me. My future seemed grim. He was much bigger and probably much stronger than I. What could I do?

As kids we had toyed around with wrestling and fighting—none of it serious. We had come upon a grip we called the Indian Choke Lock that we found impossible to break that made our opponent unable to breathe. I decided to put the choke lock on Ian at my first opportunity.

When class ended that afternoon I dashed out of the classroom first. I jumped up on a ledge a mere foot above the bottom stair and waited. As the kids came running down the steps and out on to the field, Ian came running by me. It should have been obvious to me that he had totally forgotten his threat that had haunted me the whole afternoon. But all I could see was what I considered to be my only chance to save my life—to kill him before he could kill me.

Launching myself into the air, I landed on his back and threw him into my Indian Choke Lock. I was surprised how well it worked. He struggled vainly but couldn’t dislodge me; nor could he breathe. He collapsed onto the ground, but I held on grimly. Eventually some bigger kids saw what I was doing and came over and broke my lock on his throat. He gasped for air and walked away very subdued. I stood up quickly watching for any retaliation. None materialized.

Years went by. I quickly learned that physical retaliation wasn’t the way to go. Usually one could negotiate his way out of a big threat, especially with some serous praying about it.

Lord, thank You for the light—the promise that You are with me and will protect me and that to love others is a much better way.

---

[i] https://www.flickr.com/photos/calshakes/6189618611

[ii] Not his or her real name